PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

January - February 2014

Greetings Everyone

As the busy time of the holidays passes and we turn our calendar to a new year, we enter a time of reflection, renewal and planning for the year ahead!

The IECSI Board of Directors have been actively engaged in such efforts! With a recent planning and goal-setting strategic meeting, we have developed a framework to help keep the chapter growing and healthy in the coming years. Many topics were discussed, with those of Membership, Product Show, Affiliate Organizations and Events came up as top priorities to be addressed this year. Communication is a critical element to the success in meeting our goals, and in working on the priorities of the chapter. Individual Board members personal goals for the chapter included increasing membership by one new member per month, working on quality educational programs for the monthly meetings, providing opportunities for members of the chapter, and new members to become involved with the organization, helping to get more professionals and manufacturers to events, getting more cross-disciplines to be represented at monthly meetings (i.e. owner’s representatives & building officials), helping the membership understand the value that CSI can bring to them both professionally and personally, and communicating opportunities for chapter members to participate at events.

A big thank you to all Board members who were able to participate in this workshop and for the generosity of your time and efforts on behalf of the chapter membership! If you are interested in working with a very energetic and fun group, in any of the topics mentioned, I want to personally invite you to contact me direct, gbalteria@yahoo.com; so I can put you in touch with the right folks!

Engaging college and university students is a goal in which IECSI and LACSI chapters are working diligently to accomplish. Cal Poly Pomona and Norco College are the target students at present to involve with CSI! More to come on these efforts as Gary Mc Gavin, AIA and professor at Cal Poly is assisting the two chapters to make this a reality.

Once again there are a lot of good things happening with CSI, recent accomplishments of our chapter and many excellent programs in the works. Recently Fred Diamond, of Citrus College, championed two wonderful presentations for the past two chapter meetings, one on the Division of the State Architect (DSA), and the other on Contractor Project Defaults and Surety Takeovers. In December the Chapter hosted our very successful annual Holiday Dinner Event at the Mission Inn, thanks to Kathy Greenway and her hard working Committee!

New planned events include a tour of the historic Maloof Home and of course our May Product Show. More details on these events are coming soon!

I will look forward to seeing you at our next meeting and event!

George Balteria

President

The Inland Empire Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute